ENG-1963 — Page 310

PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

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attendant on the higher population densities of existing develop- ments. The importance of the use of salt water for flushing was emphasized by the drying up of many of the traditional wells and the many gallons of salt water used for fire fighting. These commitments, met from the sea, constituted a direct saving of the slender fresh water reserves. Included in the expansion of the salt water systems were the construction of three storage reservoirs with a combined capacity of 14 million gallons and attendant pumping station on which satisfactory progress was maintained. The quality of the water supplied was maintained at the same high standard as in previous years and the few sub-standard samples were traced to violations of the Waterworks Ordinance or to the carelessness of consumers. Though cholera was again present in the Colony, no case could be attributed to the disease being borne by the water supplied. Fluoridation of the urban area supplies continued satisfactorily and the coagulation of the sodium silica fluoride attendant on operating the equipment in a hot and humid tropical atmosphere was solved.

Another facet of the Hong Kong Waterworks is the improve- ment work on the traditional irrigation systems of the New Terri- tories as well as the construction of new works to improve the supplies especially during the dry winter months. During the year 44,000 feet of irrigation channels were lined with concrete to reduce seepage and 800 feet of new channel and 56 diversion dams were constructed.

Buildings. The building boom in the Colony continued through- out the year and a large number of public buildings of all sizes and descriptions were completed and at the end of the year con- struction was in progress on many others. As in previous years, the programme was helped forward by the work of private architects and private quantity surveyors. Because of the excep- tionally low rainfall, contractors experienced some difficulty in procuring adequate water supplies for their building operations and, in many cases, water became another building material delivered to the site in lorries. Another feature of the year was a general rise in building costs, attributable mainly to increased labour rates.

Among the more important buildings completed, pride of place goes to the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital, a 13-storey general